Chapter Fifteen

After the introduction of cement, Silver Claw and his men immediately proceeded to the construction of the irrigation system as instructed by the young master. They began digging a pathway for the water on the ground, and once this pathway was finished, they would connect it towards Rile River that flowed inside the forest.

"Dig a little bit more!" shouted Silver Claw. Over a dozen workers were shoveling through the ground, sending dirt and soil flying towards the sides. "It should be at least as deep as a person's height!"

Silver Claw did not use complex terms like one and a half meters deep and two meters wide. Instead, he used simple terms the illiterate workers could understand.

"That should be deep enough!" he shouted after seeing the depth of the trenches. "Add the cement!"

Upon his order, the cement mixture inside the wooden barrels were poured on the ground. They slowly added water to it and mixed it briskly using a wooden rod with a flat end. The workers quickly moved and spread the cement on the walls and foot of the canal. This way, according to the Young Master, the irrigation canal would not easily collapse once large amounts of water came pouring out of the Rile River.

This thing invented by the Young Master… this cement… it's really amazing.

Silver Claw's heart raced whenever he thought of the many things that would be now possible with this world-shaking innovation. When he first saw how the earth hardened after addition of water, he was speechless beyond words. It took only a few hours and yet, the product was hard enough to compete with stone. And as though that wasn't enough, this so-called cement adhered so strongly to other stones that it was impossible to separate them without using brute force.

Silver Claw was getting shivers just thinking of these things. He wanted to get back to the eastern border as soon as possible and test this cement out on the houses being constructed there. Still, since this was ordered by the young master, he was to prioritize the completion of the irrigation system first.

As they neared the farmlands, the canal was designed to break into numerous forks. In each fork, a device meant to block the flow of water was to be constructed. According to the Young Master, aside from the main plug at the junction of Rile Rilver, other stopper system should be built to properly distribute the water. He repeatedly emphasized that these devices needed to be made no matter what, in order to avoid overflowing of water into the farmlands. If one stopper broke, then those on the fork would still hold.

Although the Lord of Blackstone Town was still young, Silver Claw could not help but be amazed by his insight. He had seen the plowing tools before, and even just those things alone would be enough to warrant merit from the entire Kingdom. And now, the Young Master introduced this earth-shaking innovation called cement and this ingenious stopper system in the irrigation project.

Silver Claw breathed out. He knew that this was not the time to dally.

I can't let my men do all the work, right? Let's finish this quickly so that I could finally test the cement on those houses.

Silver Claw rolled the sleeves of his shirt and joined the workers inside the trenches. He also began digging through the ground.

***

Lark received news that the first chicken coop had been finished. He immediately summoned Gaston and issued his orders.

"Tell the servants to load the chicken eggs to the carts," he said to the old man. "Two hundred eggs. We have two roosters in the coop at the garden, right?"

"Yes, Young Master." The old butler was becoming used to the eccentric orders of Lark by now.

"Take those two with us. Also, I've ordered Loi saplings from the Lion City before." Lark bought those things at a relatively cheap price, since it seemed that the people in this Kingdom have no use for those plants. "Bring all of those with us. If the carts aren't enough, just deliver them in batches."

"Understood." Gaston bowed and left.

After the butler was gone, Lark leaned on his chair and smiled. Developing this town was tiring yet exciting. Aside from the management of the town, he never ceased his training. His only time to rest was during the night – those five hours of sleep during bedtime.

He stood up, opened the box near the bed, and took out four thin metal plates. Engraved inside the tablets were magic diagrams and formations meant to accelerate the productivity of the poultry farm. With these items, Lark planned on forcing hundreds of eggs to hatch. An item meant to solve the fertilization process.

Lark went towards the garden. By the time he arrived, the preparations have been already finished. The crates containing the eggs have been loaded, along with the Loi saplings.

"Young Master," said Gaston. "The saplings will be delivered in batches, as you've ordered, since the carts are unable to accommodate all of them."

There were only three carts in total. Lark remembered that the other carts were being used in the northern construction right now, specifically for the transportation of limestones.

Lark nodded and boarded the carriage. After a neighing sound, the carts moved slowly and exited the Mansion's grounds.

Looking outside the window, Lark noticed that the snow was starting to melt. Winter was finally coming to an end.

Good. We can finally start planting the wheat seeds. I need to hasten the reclamation of the northern lands after this. It'll probably take a year before we can start reclaiming the western region.

The plowing of the lands in the north was progressing quickly due to the tools introduced by Lark. According to the reports, the average farmer was able to use the plowing tool for around twenty minutes. Each day, several acres of land were being plowed and fertilized by composts. If things continued progressing this way, they would be able to start planting the seeds within the next few days. The only limiting aspect would be the irrigation system, but the conventional watering method by the farmers should be enough to cover the small available area for now – at least until the irrigation canals were ready.

As Lark was lost in his thoughts, they finally arrived at the southern border of the town. When Lark got down the cart, he immediately saw the newly constructed chicken coop. It was five times as large as a normal cabin, with enough room to house around a hundred chickens.

A large empty space cleared of any grass surrounded the coop, with a waist-length fence serving as demarcating point. Lark was impressed that the workers followed his design thoroughly. Lark planned on using the large empty space as potential feeding ground for the poultry.

"Ah, Young Master." A tall man wearing a straw hat came running towards Lark and his group. "I'm sorry for not immediately coming to greet you. I've though that—," he removed his hat and scratched his chin. "—You'll be coming around late afternoon."

Lark smiled and simply dismissed it. He looked at the large chicken coop made of wood. He could see numerous small windows near the roof, a design meant to lessen the heat during summer. "I didn't expect that you'll be able to finish them so soon."

"We've worked day and night to quickly finish it." The voice of the tall man held unmasked pride within. "We're still working on the second one. According to Sir Silver Claw, the Young Master wants fifteen of them?"

Lark knew that the worker was probably confused on why there was a need for so many coops. After all, by simply looking at their size, it was apparent that there would be thousands of chickens in this farm. It was an amount excessive for this small town.

"That's correct." Lark did not elaborate. He planned on exporting chicken meat to nearby cities and villages once the time came. Also, by smoking it and drying it, those meat would easily become rations for the soldiers.

He told the servants to unload the crates containing the eggs and put them inside the coop.

As the servants unloaded the cargo, Lark turned towards the tall man. "Pico, how long will it take to finish the poultry farm?"

The tall man, probably surprised that the Young Master knew his name, opened and close his mouth. "Ah… Yes. It will take around three to four more months, Young Master."

Lark tapped Pico's shoulder. "I'm going to issue another recruitment order soon. I'll immediately send more men to work on this farm. Make it two months."

The voice of the Young Master was firm, clearly not taking no for an answer. Sensing this, Pico bobbed his head vigorously. "Yes!"

Lark smiled. The servants have finished their tasks.

"Then, Mister Pico. From now on, you will be in-charge of the entire Poultry Farm," said Lark.

Pico realized that the Young Master was not pertaining to simply the construction of the farm but to the management of the farm itself. "But, young sir. I'm no poultry breeder. I know nothing about this job. I'm merely a constructi—"

"—That's fine," interjected Lark. He motioned for Pico and the butler to follow him inside the coop. On his hands were four thin iron plates. "I will teach you everything you need to know about this."

After doing his research, Lark found out that the method of taking care of the poultry in this Kingdom was primitive. It was so unproductive that Lark was stunned speechless when he first heard of it. Therefore, he decided that he would introduce the Magic Empire's way of poultry farming. Although he was a magician in his previous life, basic knowledge such as this one was mandatorily taught in the academies, and he'd heard of it so many times that his ears have gone numb.

The Magic Empire's education system is indeed great. Both magicians and non-magicians are taught all of the necessary basic knowledge. Mathematics. Science. Religion. Trade. Even Farming.

Lark hoped that one day, such education system would exist in this world. An education system that did not discriminate between magicians and non-magicians. An education system available for people of all status.

Lark looked around inside the coop. Everything was made of wood. Near the ceiling, numerous fan-shaped wooden blades were installed. Lark planned on connecting it to a magic device later, enabling it to rotate and drive away the heat during summer. After all, the summer in this Kingdom was said to be accompanied by ridiculously fierce heat waves which kill people by the dozens – and this was also true for the animals. This was one of the reasons why during summer, the prices of poultry products were ridiculously high.

It'll be several months more before summer arrived. Lark deemed that would be enough time to implement his plans.

"Ah, right. The rooster," mumbled Lark. After receiving an order, the butler soon returned inside the coop with a rooster in his hand. The rooster kept struggling out of the old man's hands.

Lark placed two metal plates on the ground. Each of them had peculiar symbols engraved inside.

"These plates are called Hatchelets. They're magic devices capable of fertilizing an egg and accelerating their growth," said Lark. Basically, it solves the problem of fertilization by simply using the "essence" of the hens that had been passed to the eggs.

He could clearly see the confusion on Pico's face. "Put the rooster over there."

Following the direction of the young master, Gaston placed the rooster on one of the metal plates. The moment the rooster's feet touched the plate, the symbols engraved on it glowed for a second, and the struggling rooster froze in place.

Lark pointed at the second plate. "Now, put eggs on that one. Pico, you do it. One egg on each circle."

Pico saw the strange glow from the first plate. He was now convinced that these plates were magic devices. Still, he held doubts if these things were really capable of making an egg hatch. After all, this was the first time he ever heard of such a thing.

A total of four eggs were placed on the second plate.

"These two plates are connected by a thin strand of magic beforehand. Using these devices as catalyst, we will absorb a small essence from the rooster and transfer it to the unfertilized eggs. And using the same essence, we will forcefully accelerate growth inside the egg, making it hatch."

Everyone in the room was silent. They all stared at the plates. The rooster that struggled before in the hands of Gaston was now unmoving, as though it turned into a living statue.

"To activate this device, a little bit of mana is required," said Lark. "But don't worry. Even non-magicians are able to use this thing." He patted Pico's back. "Place a hand on the hexagram at the center of that plate. Do it."

As instructed, Pico placed his hand on the symbol at the center of the second plate. It took several seconds before Pico felt something being sucked out of his body. It was a tiny amount, but it was continuously being sucked out.

Feeling uncomfortable, Pico was about to pull out his hand when Lark said, "Don't remove your hands. Wait for the eggs to hatch."

Under the gaze of the Young Master and the servants, Pico did not remove his hands. Even now, he could still feel something being sucked out of his body. A bead of sweat started forming on his forehead. He wanted to say that hatching the eggs using such method was absurd, and that such thing was not possible, but in the end, he chose to shut his mouth.

The symbols on the second plate glowed and vanished after a full second.

"Alright. That's enough," said the young master. "Remove your hand."

Pico released his hand and sighed in relief. He realized that sweat had formed on his face, and his breathing had quickened somewhat.

Lark grinned at him. "Tiring isn't it? As a non-magician, you'll get used to that feeling eventually." He pointed at the second plate. "Look."

The moment Pico looked at the second plate, his eyes widened in surprise. The four eggs placed on it started forming cracks. Moments after, newly born chicks started coming out of the shell, their bodies wet and slimy.

"Wha—" a voice of surprise leaked out of Pico's mouth.

Lark bent down and grabbed one of the newly born chicks. He looked at the frozen rooster standing on the first plate. "The essence from the rooster will recover with rest. At most, I want you to hatch around fifty eggs per day. Rotate with the other workers so your mana won't get depleted."

Pico was still stunned of what he saw. When he realized that the young master was staring at him, he finally broke out of his trance.

"Ah, yes. Understood, young master!"

Lark chuckled. "No need to be so stiff." He patted Pico on the back. "You'll get used to this method soon."

Pico stared at the newly born chick held by the young master. For some reason, he felt a sense of accomplishment after realizing that it was him who made those chicks hatch.

Lark led the group towards the outside, particularly towards the place where the carts were. He took out a sapling.

"You call this a Loi plant, right?" The plant Lark was holding was around two inches in length, with small yellow leaves growing out of the stem.

Pico had seen them before. "Yes."

"I want you to plant these saplings over there." Lark pointed at the empty area surrounding the coop. "A palm apart should do"

Pico paused, unsure if he should speak of what was on his mind. Eventually, he swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "Forgive me for this, Young Master. But I don't think we should plant those things."

"They attract bugs and several insects, right?" Lark smiled mischievously.

"Yes, those pests—"

"—Are food for the chickens in this farm," completed Lark. "I'm asking you to plant these insect-attracting plants for this very reason. Think about it. Those insects would surely become pests in normal farms. But what about here? With thousands of chickens freely roaming about, they'll be nothing but convenient food lying around."

The insects attracted to these plants were generally harmless to humans. Therefore, there were practically no risks but only benefits if they planted these things.

Moreover, the fruits of these plants were the main ingredient in creating Umami Salt. A popular spice in the Magic Empire coveted by all restaurants. The very reason why the insects were attracted to Loi plants was due to the taste of Umami Salt within them.

Lark did not bother explaining the second reason why they should plant the saplings. He deemed that overtime, they would realize these things.

"I want you to build a small fence to protect the Loi sapling from the chickens," said Lark. "A very small one will do. It'll take several months before these plants produced fruits. By that time, gather those fruits and bring them to me. Is that clear?"

"Understood, Young Master."